Control Freak: Another Story
by LuckyLadybug
Summary: Twoshot. A reimagining of the season 4 episode Control Freak. What if the mask started corrupting Jessie instead of her just going on a power trip? Now it's alienating her from her friends and leading her towards a devastating tragedy.
1. Chapter 1

**Pokemon**

 **Control Freak: Another Story**

 **By Lucky_Ladybug**

 **Notes: The characters are not mine and the story is! While re-watching** _ **Control Freak**_ **, I decided I wanted to see what would happen if the mask had started to corrupt Jessie a la the One Ring instead of it just being that she was on a power trip. So this is an alternate retelling of that episode, and an alternate location. Crystal Rose of Pollux helped with some plot elements. There are a few brief references to James being possessed in my story** _ **A Dangerous Mind**_ **, but that past incident really doesn't have any bearing on this story. I hope it won't bear too much similarity with a story someone wrote many years ago that followed a similar premise of Jessie being corrupted by the mask. I never read it, but I was aware it existed, and now I can't remember its name or the author's name to make sure mine is different. So in case anyone reading this has read that old story and notices similarities, they are purely coincidental!**

It was a pleasant late-autumn day and Ash and his friends were traveling along the coast. Everything had been peaceful for some time when a strange sight in a vacant lot on the outskirts of a sweeping metropolis caught their attention. Tents and trucks stretched in all directions, as well as people dressed in khakis.

"Wow, what is this place?" Ash blinked in confused surprise.

"It looks like an archaeological dig," Brock remarked.

"In the middle of the city?" Ash exclaimed.

"It's not something you see every day, but it happens," Brock said.

"I hope they're not digging up any more ancient Pokemon cities with giant, warring Pokemon," Misty worried.

Togepi trilled.

"Pi-Pikachu," Pikachu commented.

"Well, let's go over and find out!" Ash exclaimed. He ran ahead before anyone could stop him.

Misty sighed. "We might as well go too," she said in resignation.

"Yes! Let's!" Brock cried. He tore past Ash to get in the lead.

Misty was not pleased. "Only a pretty girl could get Brock moving that fast."

Togepi chirped.

"Make that two pretty girls," Ash remarked.

Misty stopped and stared. There were indeed two young girls coming up some underground stone steps. One held a strangely carved face mask, while the other held a long staff with an orange orb at one end. And one girl looked familiar.

"Eve!" Brock greeted. "I never thought our paths would cross again! What are you doing here?"

The teenage doctorate holder blinked in surprise and then smiled. "This is a pleasant surprise!" she exclaimed. "We are discovering another ancient civilization. I'm happy to be able to share our discovery with old friends. Everyone, this is Tierra. She is a colleague who has been helping me. Tierra, this is Ash, Misty, and Brock. They were with me when Pokemopolis was discovered."

"Hello," Tierra smiled too. "I'm glad to meet all of you."

"Hi," Ash and Misty echoed as they came up on either side of Brock.

"Pika!" said Pikachu.

Togepi chirped.

Brock was in Heaven. "Hello!" he declared. "Eve and Tierra. What beautiful names and girls to go with them!"

Tierra was more interested in something other than Brock's swooning. "You were really there when Pokemopolis was discovered?" she gushed. "That must have been amazing!"

"It was something else, alright," Ash said as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.

"To say the least," said Brock.

"So what kind of ancient civilization used weird stuff like that mask?" Ash wondered.

"I hope it's not like Pokemopolis' creepy artifacts housing giant Pokemon," Misty shuddered.

"Not at all," Eve said.

"Rather than being an ancient civilization, per se, this seems to be the site where a renegade _vodun_ priestess lived with her followers," Tierra said. "We found some old writings that date back to when this area was called New Amsterdam. This priestess crafted this mask and staff and claimed that she made them under the instructions of her 'friends from the other side.'"

"Other side of what?" Ash blinked.

"The veil that separates mortal beings from the supernatural," Eve said. "Her 'friends' were dark spirits."

Misty cringed. "That's . . . really not good."

Brock frowned. "I didn't think voodoo existed in this part of the world during the time this was New Amsterdam. Let alone renegade voodoo."

"It's a dark chapter in history that was lost until now," Eve exclaimed. "This is an incredible find!"

"And with what we're learning, I can see why it was lost," Tierra said. "Someone must have buried these things hoping they would never be recovered. The mask can be used in conjuncture with the staff to control Pokemon. According to these writings, the priestess could control any Pokemon within the city limits."

"Whoa. Really?!" Ash stared at the staff with wide eyes.

"Pika." Pikachu gulped. That didn't sound good either.

"Finally the people rebelled and ambushed her . . . or tried to." Tierra frowned. "She defeated them all by controlling their Pokemon and declared herself unstoppable."

"That's horrible!" Misty exclaimed.

"There's more to the story on this next page, but it's so faded we've been having a hard time reading it." Tierra nodded towards a table, on which several yellowed and tearing sheets of paper were each displayed in glass frames.

"From what we can make out, her dearest friend had noticed a negative change in her ever since she had put on the mask," Eve said. "Beyond that, we're not sure what it says." She set the mask and staff on the other side of the table.

"I'm sure you'll work out exactly what the rest of the paper says," Brock said.

"I wonder if I wanna know," Ash remarked. He poked the staff. "Do you think it's really true? About controlling Pokemon?"

"I don't know," Tierra said. "I'm not going to put on the mask and find out, even in the interest of science."

"Oh," came a smooth and familiar voice from behind them. "I'll be happy to do that for you. But not in the interest of science!"

Everyone spun around.

"I know that voice!" Misty cried.

"There's no mistaking it," Brock agreed.

Two of the workers at the dig site were standing before them with matching smirks.

"Team Rocket!" Ash burst out.

"Prepare for trouble," Jessie purred.

"And make it double," James added.

"Will you guys can the motto already?!" Misty scowled. "We all know it by heart."

"I could say it in my sleep," Ash said.

"Well, I've never heard it." Tierra blinked. "What's going on here?!"

"Big trouble," Misty groaned.

As usual, Jessie and James were not about to can the motto.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

Meowth somersaulted onto the table and snatched the mask and staff. "Meowth, that's right!"

"Hey!" Ash protested. "You can't take that stuff!"

"It's not like it even belongs to anybody anymore," Meowth said.

"It was going into a museum!" Eve cried.

"Now it's going to Team Rocket." Jessie reached out, taking the mask from Meowth. It was intricately carved in bronze with a fearsome and colorful face. "I'd say it suits me perfectly."

"Well, it looks almost as scary as Jessie does," Ash quipped.

Jessie snarled. "You won't be laughing when all of these Pokemon fall under our control, twerp!" She applied the mask with a flick of her wrist and then only her eyes and mouth were visible. With a smirk, she grabbed the staff and twirled it before pointing it at Pikachu and Togepi.

"You can't do this!" Misty yelled indignantly.

Togepi's eyes went blank. He jumped out of Misty's arms and waddled over to Jessie with a trill. Pikachu jumped down from Ash's shoulder to follow suit.

"Pikachu!" Ash wailed. "You can't let her do this! Come on, Pikachu! Fight it!"

But Pikachu went to Jessie's side with only a vague, "Chu . . ." in reply.

"They're mine now." Jessie sneered.

James and Meowth both looked to her with a start.

"Yours?!" James said in disbelief.

"We'd be takin' them to the boss!" Meowth exclaimed.

"He didn't want Togepi anyway," Jessie said. "And after Pikachu has caused us so much humiliation, I think it's more fitting that we keep him. Don't you?"

James frowned. "I think maybe you should take that mask off, Jessie. I don't recognize you from your words. And your eyes have started to glaze over. It's not an attractive look for you."

"You dare to question me?!" Jessie took a step forward, clutching the staff in both hands. "I was always the only one with brains and guts enough to be the leader!"

James stepped back, hurt flashing through his eyes. "Jessie . . ."

The younger kids watched, stunned.

"What's happening to her?" Ash wondered.

"What a power trip." Misty frowned.

"I am afraid it may be the mask," Eve said. "Remember what we translated from the parchment!"

James looked over with a start. "What did you read?!"

"That there was a negative change in the priestess's personality from the moment she put the mask on!" Tierra said. "If you care about your friend, you'll get it off her!"

Jessie abruptly swung the staff in a horizontal arc and knocked James to the ground before he had time to react. "If you do, I'll know you don't care," she snarled.

Meowth's jaw dropped. "Jim!" He scrambled to the dazed boy's side. "How could you do that to your best friend, Jessie?!"

"Very easily." Jessie haughtily flipped her hair over her shoulder and sprang into a Jeep. "Come on, Pikachu, Togepi."

The Pokemon jumped into the Jeep with her.

"And what about us?!" Meowth demanded.

"Well, get up and come on," Jessie snapped.

James shook the cobwebs from his mind and stumbled up, hurrying into the Jeep. "Jessie, you need to give me that mask," he said. "It's changing you."

"So? Deal with it." Jessie barely waited for Meowth before revving the engine and speeding out of the dig site. "We're going to the heart of the Big Apple to take control of every Pokemon in the city!"

James looked back over his shoulder at the younger kids and the archaeologists. Unbridled fear shone in his eyes.

"We've gotta go after them!" Ash cried. "They've still got Pikachu and Togepi!"

"And the mask and staff!" Eve moaned. "If she takes control of all the Pokemon in New York City, this entire area is doomed!"

"But isn't it only supposed to work in the part that was once New Amsterdam?" Misty asked.

"It's hard to say," Tierra said. "Maybe the stipulation about it working in the city limits means that its range is expanded to include the entire modern city now."

"That . . . would not be good," Brock frowned.

"But even if it's only the part that was New Amsterdam, that is still filled with hundreds of Pokemon who will all fall under her control!" Eve exclaimed.

"We need to try to translate the rest of this paper!" Tierra said. She sat down at the table. "There may be a clue as to how to get that mask off of her."

"Can't James just get it?" Ash frowned. "I know he didn't make it so far, but he'll keep trying. And he's right there in the Jeep with her."

"You underestimate the power of that mask," Eve said. "I am afraid it already has a very tight hold on that girl. Please, go downtown and try to keep track of her. We will stay here and try to translate this paper."

"Okay!" Ash ran for a Jeep Brock was already getting into and starting up. Misty chased after them.

"I hope they'll be alright," Tierra said grimly. "But more than that, I hope that girl's friends will be alright."

Eve looked to her in surprise. "What do you mean?"

Tierra tapped the first line they had been struggling with. "I think this line talks about how the priestess reacted to her friend telling her the mask was dangerous. And I recognize the character for extreme danger."

"Then we had better work fast," Eve declared, slipping in next to her friend.

"Extreme danger?" Ash frowned. He looked from the archaeologists to Misty and Brock. "But . . . Jessie would never hurt James or Meowth really bad. Would she?"

"Everything we saw her do is what we've already seen she's capable of, even knocking James down with the staff," Misty said.

"Except for when she said she planned to keep Pikachu for herself," Brock reminded them. "That wasn't like her. Even James and Meowth were shocked."

"Well . . . I guess the mask's making her greedy then," Ash said. "But we have to get Pikachu back in any case!"

"And Togepi!" Misty nodded.

Brock took off in the Jeep. "I also remember the way James looked back at us as they were driving off." He frowned. "He knows something's very wrong and he's honestly afraid. And whether that fear is for himself or Jessie, I don't know."

"I know I'm sure afraid for New York right now," Misty said. "They don't know what they're in for!"

"Neither do we!" Ash retorted.

"But we will soon," Brock said grimly.

xxxx

Jessie clenched her teeth as the Jeep flew over the road and towards the heart of the city. Her feelings were crashing over each other and making very little sense.

What had she been doing? Somewhere in her mind she knew that she had been insulting and even physically harming James and Meowth. She had never wanted to do that again. What was wrong with her?

Nothing was wrong with her. She was awakening to her new powers. There wasn't room for James and Meowth too, not when they weren't accepting of those powers. She had thought they would be happy for her and support her, but they weren't and didn't.

She had always wanted to be important, not just cast aside as a miserable misfit of society. James and Meowth had understood that and had even felt the same. They were a team of misfits together. Yet . . . now it felt as though their understanding paled before that of this mask. It saw right into her soul. It knew how she was feeling and it had a solution.

That was ridiculous, though. It was a mask. It couldn't know anything.

But it did.

James and Meowth wanted her to give up everything and go back to the existence of a failure. Was it so terrible that she didn't want to return to that life? The staff was her chance for a better future. It could control all the Pokemon in town! There was no way she was going to let it out of her possession. It was leading her to power beyond her wildest dreams.

So was the mask. The longer she wore it, the more she knew it was just right for her. If it wasn't that it was impossible, she might even say it was molding to her face shape, transforming into something that would fit her and only her like a glove.

Still, impossible or not, she knew she had been hearing a strange voice in her ears and in her mind ever since she had held the mask, before she had actually put it on. Now that it was on, the voice had only increased in its intensity and demand to be heard, even though its voice had not raised. She didn't always like what it said, but something about its hypnotic tone prompted her to listen. And although she wasn't fully aware of it, it also prompted her to think and act.

 _"Why do you travel with these two?"_ it was asking now. _"They've proved they're not valuable and they don't care about you getting your desired power."_

 _"But they've always been my friends,"_ Jessie protested.

 _"Friends are weighing you down. The only way you can be with all your power is if you get rid of them and focus only on me."_

 _"No!"_ Jessie snarled. _"They're my friends. I'd rather have them than . . ."_

She trailed off. She'd rather have them? Why? They certainly weren't helping this situation. If anything, they had made it worse, causing her to second-guess herself and insisting the mask was bad for her.

They were just worried about her, though. . . .

Were they? Or were they just power-seekers themselves, trying to get the mask and staff for their own gain?

Yes, that had to be it. Everyone was really only out for themselves, after all. She had learned that all of her life. No one truly cared. No one. . . .

James and Meowth did. They always had.

 _"You invited me in and put me on,"_ the mask was saying now. _"You're a good person. The best. And you deserve all the good fortune that is to come to you because of me."_

 _"I like the sound of that."_ Jessie smirked. _"I've lived as an outcast all of my life. I want to be special and important. I want to show everyone that trifling with me was always a mistake!"_

 _"And you will,"_ the mask said. _"As long as you cast your friends aside. They don't really want what's best for you or they wouldn't want you to give me up."_

An inexplicable sadness swept over Jessie at this proclamation. Even with the level of corruption the mask had already brought to her, she didn't want to believe it. But as it seeped its evil deeper into her skin and continued to warp and twist her very heart and soul to its treacherous designs, she started to.

 _". . . That . . . makes sense,"_ she mused at last. _"I'll give them one more chance, but you're probably right. They're not looking out for my best interests."_

 _"Of course they're not,"_ the mask whispered. _"Only I am. Only I. . . ."_

"Jessie?" James' voice broke into the eerie conversation. "Jessie, are you alright?"

Jessie started back to the present and glowered at James. "Of course I'm alright. I'm better than alright! Don't you understand what these artifacts are going to do for me?"

"I understand they're taking you away from us," James said.

"Yeah!" Meowth exclaimed. "You're gonna keep the Pokemon for yourself, just like the Iron Mask Marauder! And you're actin' out with us again. Knocking Jimmy down was just messed up!"

"I'll do whatever I want to him . . . and to you," Jessie snapped. "If you're not with me, you're against me. And you don't sound very 'with me' right now!"

"Jessie, we're always 'with you,'" James retorted. "We've never abandoned you and we never will. You know that by now. But you're letting that mask take over all of your thoughts! If you don't stop, you're going to be abandoning us!"

"That's just as well," Jessie shot back. "I don't need either of you clowns. I caught Pikachu without you! That's what this mask has done for me."

"The mask and staff caught him, Jessie," James answered. "You were just the vessel."

Meowth had shrank back, crushed by Jessie's heartless words. "You don't need us?" he whimpered.

"Oh, Meowth, don't fall for it!" James scolded impatiently. "That's the mask talking!" His eyes narrowed. "It's like when I was possessed . . . or when you were mind-controlled. . . . Only in this case, I'm afraid there's one key difference that changes everything."

"What's that?" Meowth quavered.

"Jessie willingly put the mask on," James said, gazing at their friend with haunted eyes. "She didn't know what she was in for, but basically, she invited the evil in. And when it has that kind of hold on her, I'm afraid it's going to be much more difficult to get through to her enough that she will cast it aside."

Meowth swallowed hard. "So . . . what're we gonna do?"

James gave a heavy sigh. "Right now? Just wait and watch. And not give up. I'll never give up."

Meowth stared at the tall skyscrapers of Manhattan looming high above them. "Well . . . unless we want Jessie to claim the Big Apple as her kingdom, we're gonna havta think of somethin' to get through to her fast." He gulped.

"I know," James said softly. "But at the moment, I don't know what it can be."

"Pikachu," Pikachu mumbled.

James turned to look back at him and Togepi. They were sitting on the back seat of the Jeep, their eyes still blank. And beyond them, following the Jeep, were countless other Pokemon of all kinds. James' jaw dropped.

Meowth turned to look too. "Wow. Jessie really does have the magic touch with this stuff." He blinked. "It's too bad this ain't legit."

"Well, it's not!" James snapped. "'This stuff' has given some sort of dark magic touch to her personality. That's what we have to break through!"

Jessie started to laugh. "Just look at all these Pokemon!" she exclaimed, gesturing at the rear-view mirror. "And this is merely the beginning. Every Pokemon in the city will come to me! And I think one with such an important gift should be more than a priestess. I will be a queen! Yes . . . Queen Jessie the First. And the city's Pokemon Center will be my castle!"

"What?!" James gasped, sitting up straight in the seat.

"What better location? All the Pokemon there will obey me, and I can use the Pokeball Transfer System to bring Pokemon from all over the world to me!" Jessie reached over, tapping into the Jeep's GPS unit to get directions to the Pokemon Center.

Meowth watched her warily. "So, uh . . . if you're gonna be a queen and all, are you gonna have anybody in your court?"

She sneered. "Why, of course. Two jesters. The both of you!"

James flinched. "That's not funny, Jessie."

"It's not meant to be," Jessie countered. "I'm dead serious. That's all you are to me."

James clenched his teeth. "I know that's not true. Maybe in the past you could have made me believe that, but not now, after you've shown repeatedly that you care. That mask is twisting you into a person I don't know. But mark my words, Jessica-I'm going to get you back. I won't give up until I do!"

"Well, lots of luck, Bozo," Jessie jeered. She sped around a corner, the Jeep careening to the left side's wheels before landing on all four again.

Meowth dared to look up at James. In spite of his words, it was obvious that Jessie was hurting him. "Jim?" he asked softly.

James pulled Meowth close, petting his head. "I guess this is similar to how Jessie felt when I said horrible things to her when possessed," he said quietly. "It's only fitting that I experience what it's like."

"It's not the same thing!" Meowth retorted. "And not just 'cause Jessie invited the evil in or whatever. The stuff you said, most of it was stuff that needed to be said, stuff you were thinkin' deep down. You called Jessie out for treatin' us rotten. You really made her take a long, hard look at herself and she started tryin' to treat us better.

"What's goin' on now, well, Jessie's just bein' cruel. This stuff she's saying don't need to be said! And it's not even how she really feels . . . I hope." Meowth looked down.

"It's not how she really feels," James insisted, his voice fierce. "It can't be!" He hugged Meowth as a refuge from the insanity. "We're going to save her, Meowth. Somehow, someway!"

"Yeah? And it'd better be quick." Meowth clutched James close. "We're almost to the Pokemon Center."

James looked up as the large, domed building appeared in the Jeep's windshield. "Heaven help us." He shuddered.

Nurse Joy hurried out through the doors as Jessie parked. "What's going on here?!" she exclaimed in disbelief and anger. "Why are all these Pokemon following you?! Don't you realize some of them could have been run over in traffic?!"

"That wouldn't have happened." Jessie jumped out of the Jeep, brandishing the staff. "They are all following me because I am their queen! And I'm taking over here, Sister!"

"What?!" Nurse Joy took a step back, but her eyes flashed with indignation.

James gave her a sheepish look. "We're terribly sorry about this. . . ."

Meowth nodded. "See, Jessie put on this cursed mask and it's makin' her act funny."

He shrieked as the staff crashed into him and sent him flying into James. "Neither of you respect me!" Jessie snarled.

James looked up at her from where he was now sprawled on the sidewalk with Meowth. "We respect our friend," he said. "You're not her. But I know she's still in there, somewhere!"

Jessie shoved the staff's orange orb against James' throat. "Think again," she retorted. "I'm the only Jessie there is. If you can't accept me as I am, I don't want you around anymore." She pulled the staff back and straightened.

James jumped up, holding Meowth in his arms. "I'll never accept you this way!" he snapped. "And if that turns you against me, then so be it."

"So be it indeed," Jessie sneered. "There is one thing I want from you." She pointed the staff at him. "Weezing, Victreebel! Come out!"

James' Pokemon emerged from their Pokeballs. Their eyes immediately went red as they fell under Jessie's control.

James stared in horror. "No, Jessie!" he cried. "Don't do this!"

"I've just done it." Turning away from James and Meowth, Jessie pointed the staff at the Pokemon Center. "Come out! All of you!"

The ground soon shook and thundered as all the Pokemon inside the building barreled towards the front doors. Nurse Joy had no choice but to leap out of the way. "What is this?!" she demanded. "Why are all the Pokemon obeying you?!"

"Because I am their queen!" Jessie cackled. "I told you! And I'm claiming this Pokemon Center as my own!"

The last Pokemon to leave were the Chancey. Nurse Joy stared at them. "Not you girls too!" she cried. "You have to wake up! Don't you remember me?!"

The Chancey looked to her. "Chancey," they said in matter-of-fact unison.

Jessie sneered. "Throw her out."

Nurse Joy screamed as her beloved Pokemon lifted her off the ground. "Put me down!" she wailed, kicking out at them. "Chancey!"

Then she was flying. James ran forward, barely managing to catch her in time.

Jessie took the opportunity to run for the front doors. "Now I hereby claim this Pokemon Center for Queen Jessie the First!" she declared. "So long, suckers!" She darted through, followed by her army of Pokemon. The doors slammed shut after them.

That was the scene when Brock pulled up in the other Jeep. He stopped, staring at the sight of Nurse Joy in James' arms and both they and Meowth gaping at the doors. "What's going on here?!" he demanded, leaping out of the Jeep in one motion.

Nurse Joy snapped back to the present and jumped down to the sidewalk. "Some crazy girl ran inside and took all of the Pokemon with her!" she exclaimed. "Including all of the ones who were at the Center!"

"No way!" Ash yelped. He and Misty dashed over too. "And was Pikachu there?!"

"And Togepi?!" Misty added.

"They were both there," James said forlornly. "Jessie's been almost completely taken over by that mask."

"She took Weezing and Victreebel and kicked us out," Meowth said with a nod.

"I wonder why she didn't control Meowth." Misty blinked.

"I'd like to think it's because some part of her doesn't want to put him through that again," James said, "but I don't know if that's true."

Misty glowered at him. "Well, one thing's for sure. You've really done it this time! None of this would have happened if you hadn't decided to take the mask and staff!"

James' shoulders slumped. "I know."

"Jessie was the one who wanted 'em," Meowth said. "We just went along, but somethin' felt wrong about the whole deal. I didn't wanna see a bunch of Pokemon get controlled against their will. Not after I know what it's like."

"Then why did you go along?!" Misty shrieked.

Meowth's ears drooped. "I guess I was hopin' that they didn't really have any power and we could sell 'em to a museum or a collector or somethin'. Besides, once Jessie gets an idea in her head, nobody can do much to stop her."

"And that's even more true now," James said.

"Nevermind all this!" Nurse Joy interrupted. "We _have_ to stop her!"

"First we'll have to get inside," Ash pointed out.

Brock looked to James. "You're probably the only one of us who has any real chance of getting the mask and staff away from Jessie," he said.

"She's disowned me," James retorted. "I don't think anyone has much of a chance. But I'm not going to give up. Yes, I've been planning all along that I'll be the one to get them away from her. Maybe if the rest of you can serve as distractions, I can sneak up on her."

Brock frowned. "So basically we'll all be bait."

"No, that's not what I meant!" James cried, waving his hands.

"Well, we have to go in there anyway," Ash said. "It's the only way to get Pikachu and Togepi back."

"And to help Nurse Joy," Brock relented.

"James is probably taking the worst risk," Nurse Joy said in concern. "To even think of getting so close to that girl! . . ."

Meowth looked to her with surprise. "But Jessie would never really hurt Jim. Not even the way she is now."

"I hope you're right," Nurse Joy said.

Misty sighed. "Alright, everyone. Let's work out the details of our plan and get in there!"

Everyone concurred.


	2. Chapter 2

Nurse Joy knew the Center inside and out. Hoping to sneak in without Jessie's knowledge, she led the group into the building through a back door and then up through the ventilation system while they sought for the correct room. As planned, once in the vents, they began to go in different directions, each hoping to find Jessie. But while they were supposed to travel in groups of two, Meowth accidentally became separated from James in the twisting series of passageways-much to their shared alarm.

"Jim?!" The cat looked around, his heart sinking as he really processed that he was alone. "Oh no! Jim must've gone down that other tunnel when we came to that fork!"

He started to turn with the intention of going back to find James. But when he heard cruel laughter from below, he stopped and ran back to look out through the nearest grate.

"Jessie," he whispered. She was below, pacing in the room and spreading her arms wide. She was still holding the staff.

Meowth swallowed hard. "Well, looks like I can't wait for Jim. Jessie might be gone by the time I find him and come back. So . . . here goes everything." Hopeful yet afraid, he undid the grate and jumped down in front of her. "Jessie!"

Jessie jumped too. "What do you want?" she snapped. "In fact, how did you get in?!"

"Aww, you knew we'd be comin', didn't you?" Meowth replied. "We can't leave you alone in this state!"

"And why not?" Jessie growled. "You don't want me to be happy! That's it, isn't it?!"

"Of course we want you to be happy, Jessie!" Meowth protested. "And that's the thing-you're not gonna be if you keep on with this mask bit!"

"Oh no?" Jessie countered. "Look at all the Pokemon I've captured! Even Pikachu at long last! I never enjoyed success like this at any other time in my life. Certainly not when I was with losers like you and James."

Meowth flinched. "You don't really mean that. I mean, deep down. You don't really . . ." He sniffled.

"Pathetic," Jessie mocked. "You're a little cry-kitty, aren't you."

Meowth looked up with a jerk, his eyes flashing. "Yeah, I am!" he spat. "And I'll tell you why. I want my friend back! My _real_ friend. Okay, I know Jessie sure wasn't perfect, and yeah, sometimes she hit or slapped me or James. But I always knew she'd never seriously hurt us! She was just tough and hard and didn't always know how to let down her guard and act like a real person, but we both saw she loved us deep down. She'd never treat us like this! I don't know who you are, but you're sure not her. And I feel like just jumpin' up there and scratching and clawing that stupid mask off of you!"

"Oh, you're threatening me?" Jessie responded, ignoring all the rest of what he had said. "Then I can feel perfectly justified in what I'm about to do. Not that I didn't anyway. You see, I can't have you alerting everyone else to where I am. Not yet. Arbok, Lickitung! Weezing, Victreebel!"

Jessie's and James' Pokemon came around the corner and loomed over Meowth. All their eyes were red.

"H-Hey." Meowth stepped back. "You wouldn't really have them . . . attack me, would you, Jessie?"

"Watch me." Jessie walked around them. "Teach him a lesson about defying Queen Jessie."

Meowth shrieked as they lunged with one accord. "I don't wanna fight you guys! I know what it's like not to be able to control yourself!" He threw his front paws over his head, his claws bared in a desperate attempt to protect himself.

Victreebel screeched. With a slap of her vine, she forced one paw, then the other off of Meowth's head.

"I'm in trouble," Meowth whimpered. "Quadruple trouble."

His mind-controlled friends drew closer.

"I wish I could believe James that Jessie isn't lost to us," Meowth whispered. "I'm just not sure anymore."

xxxx

Jessie started off down the hall, clenching her teeth against the sounds of the fight in the room she had just vacated. Although her stomach was twisting, in her blinded mind she was trying to justify her cruelty.

 _He was holding me back. He was threatening me. He proved he really isn't my friend. I had every right to do this._

The mask was all too delighted to encourage her and continue permeating its will throughout her soul. _"That's right,"_ it whispered. _"You've done well. You know exactly what you have to do to keep hold of your power, your true happiness. You can't let anyone try to take it from you. Just as you have already determined, they're obviously not really your friends if they try to."_

 _". . . Yes,"_ Jessie answered back. _"Of course you're right. Meowth deserved to be attacked. Only . . ."_ She turned around, walking backwards now as she faced the room with the battle. _"They won't . . . kill him, will they?"_

 _"They will do whatever is necessary to keep him away from you."_ The mask was annoyed that some of Jessie's true self was still leaking through its corruption of her. It hadn't been as difficult to completely corrupt its previous victim. Somehow it would have to tighten its hold on Jessie. If Meowth survived, he wouldn't let this rest, and either way, neither would James. And the mask wasn't willing to give up its vessel. It had been so long, so very long, since it had seen the light of day. When Jessie longed for power and a better standing in life, she should be another perfect victim for its manipulation and devastating spells. Her very feelings gave the mask further power over her.

The only problem was that her love for her friends still burned as well as her love of power. No matter what arguments it used, some part of her still cared for them. That would be a hindrance if it couldn't find the way to quell or at least cover those feelings with its evil.

Jessie looked horrified by the mask's words. _"But . . . I don't want him to die. . . ."_

 _"It's all for the best. He doesn't love you. He loves your power. He wants it for himself."_

 _"Can't I just have them beat him up and throw him out?"_

 _"He'll keep coming back."_ The mask was becoming increasingly frustrated. What was it with this girl? She loved power; why couldn't she let her pathetic friends go and focus on that?

 _"I could make him part of my army!"_

 _"This way is better."_ The mask glowed. There was no choice; it would have to act now and hope that Jessie's feelings of desiring power would lend enough strength for it to bury her true self deep in her soul. Then it could more directly assume control. If it didn't try now, she might fully fight her way to the surface and stop this battle.

Dark purple wisps floated out from all sides of the mask, seeping more of its evil through Jessie's skin and into her body. Her eyes, which had been flickering with light, grew dark and blank again.

 _"Yes,"_ she consented then. _"It's better."_ She gripped her staff, laughing cruelly as she continued down the corridor.

Although the mask could not move, it smiled to itself. Now it had her. The next person who tried to interfere would get worse than what Meowth had. And when she committed that act and fell completely to the darkness, her true self would finally be destroyed. Only the mask would remain.

It was just a matter of time now. A very short amount of time.

xxxx

Back at the dig site, Eve and Tierra were still puzzling over the mysterious parchment as they struggled to dissect its meaning. By now they had almost come to the bottom of the aged document, and what it seemed to be saying was anything but encouraging.

"I know what this seems to say, but am I right?" Tierra passed a paper to her colleague, her eyes shining with worry.

Eve took it, studied the translation, and looked at the faded parchment. "It certainly could be accurate," she said. "It fits with the rest of what we've deciphered."

Tierra looked sick. "But . . . if this is what it really says . . ."

Eve nodded. "Then there is going to be a devastating tragedy." She leaped up, running for one of the remaining Jeeps. "We have to get downtown and find them right now!"

Tierra scooped up the parchment to continue translating it on the way. "By the time we get there, it will probably be too late," she feared. "And we probably can't do anything to stop it anyway."

"At least we have to try," Eve insisted. She turned the ignition key and revved the engine.

Tierra barely managed to get aboard before Eve sped off.

xxxx

Nurse Joy finally leaped down from the ventilation system in an apparently empty room. When a grate opened at the other side of the room and James jumped out, they were both startled.

"Where's Meowth?!" Nurse Joy demanded.

"I don't know!" James wailed. "And you seem to be alone yourself."

"I was with Brock, but somehow we managed to get lost," Nurse Joy frowned.

"I'm here!" Brock cried as he flew out of the tunnel. "Nurse Joy, I'm so glad you're safe! I was getting worried."

"I don't think I'm in too much danger from that girl," Nurse Joy replied, her hands on her hips. "It's you kids who might be!"

Suddenly screams echoed from down the hall. Everyone jumped.

"That's Ash and Misty!" Brock burst out. He ran to the doorway and narrowly avoided being bowled over by his friends as they dashed into the room.

"It's Pikachu and Togepi!" Misty shrieked. "They were patrolling a hallway and now they're after us!"

"Pikachu, cut it out!" Ash begged.

"Chu!" The mind-controlled Pokemon tore in after his friend, his eyes red and merciless. When Togepi waddled in behind him, he didn't appear any more friendly. He raised his tiny hands to begin Metronome.

"Oh no!" James yelped. "You can't let Togepi complete Metronome! The whole place will probably blow up, with all of us in it!"

"But how can we stop him?!" Misty cried.

"Maybe I can!" Brock pulled out a Pokeball. "Go, Zubat!"

Zubat screeched as he emerged. He wavered, beginning to fall prey to Jessie's staff.

"Jessie's not even here!" Misty said in disbelief. "How is Zubat getting under her control?!"

"When she showed up, there were Pokemon following behind her Jeep," Nurse Joy said. "They must have all been within close enough range that the staff worked anyway!"

"But then Meowth should've fallen under its control too." Ash blinked.

"Maybe she told it to get every Pokemon except Meowth," James said.

"Nevermind that now!" Misty snapped, staring in horror at Togepi.

"Fight the control, Zubat!" Brock called. "Use your Supersonic to save Pikachu and Togepi!"

Zubat was doing his best. Jessie's staff was strong, but so was Zubat's Supersonic. The soundwaves went out through the room, shaking it hard. The humans fell back against the walls. Pikachu and Togepi wailed, not liking it one bit. But then they blinked, looking up in surprise. Their eyes were no longer red.

"Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed in relief. He held out his arms and Pikachu chirped for joy, leaping into his arms.

"Togepi!" Misty scooped Togepi up and held him close.

Brock relaxed. "Thanks, Zubat. Can you keep withstanding the mind-control and holding it away from Pikachu and Togepi?"

Zubat screeched. He would try.

"We've been all over the Center by now," Nurse Joy frowned. "Jessie didn't want to leave. But where would she go?"

"What if she's gone right back to the entrance?" Ash suggested.

Everyone stared at him.

"Well, it's the only place we haven't looked," he defended.

"It's worth a try," James relented. "I'll go out ahead and try to find her. Maybe if I see her alone, I can talk some sense into her." But he didn't sound very hopeful, and neither were the others. They watched him run off with sinking hearts.

"Let's hurry and follow him," Misty said.

Before they could, pained yowls tore through the ventilation grate nearest the door.

"Oh no! There's a Pokemon battle somewhere nearby!" Nurse Joy gasped. "And it doesn't sound like a friendly one!"

"It sounds like Meowth!" Ash ran out of the room and towards the sound. Misty, Brock, and Nurse Joy followed.

"Oh my gosh!" Misty shrieked when they ran through the doorway.

Meowth was lunging at Arbok, Weezing, Lickitung, and Victreebel, desperately using Fury Swipes to protect himself. But no matter how he scratched his former friends, they attacked him from every angle and with their strongest attacks.

"Jessie must have instructed them to do this," Brock said grimly. "Look at their eyes. They're glowing red!"

"That's horrible!" Misty cried. "We have to help Meowth! Maybe Zubat could break the control over Team Rocket's Pokemon too!"

Zubat didn't sound very hopeful.

"It's hard enough for him to hold off the mind-control waves for Pikachu and Togepi," Brock said. "He can't release four more Pokemon."

Ash nodded. "Then we'll have to work with what we've got! Pikachu, Thunderbolt Attack on Victreebel!"

"Chu!" Pikachu's attack sent Victreebel flying into the wall with a screech. When she didn't get up, he turned his attention to the remaining three.

Meowth stared, stunned by the help. "You guys are really helpin' me?"

"Nobody should be hurt by mind-controlled Pokemon," Ash said. "That's just wrong!"

"Yeah, I know, but I thought you'd be focusing on freeing Jessie," Meowth said, but the conversation was interrupted as the battle continued.

Togepi jumped down on Weezing after climbing up high on a cupboard. Shocked, Weezing crashed to the floor and Togepi kept jumping up and down like Weezing was a ball.

"Yes! Go, Togepi!" Misty cheered.

"Weezing," Weezing groaned.

Togepi trilled.

Arbok was relentless. He sank his teeth into Meowth's tail in a vicious Bite Attack. The cat screamed, tears of pain filling his eyes.

"Pikachu, Tackle Attack!" Ash called.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu slammed into Arbok, taking him far away from Meowth.

Lickitung still had another attack in mind. He lunged, delivering a fierce Lick attack. Meowth groaned and fell forward to the floor. Now he didn't get up.

"Pikachu, another Thunderbolt!" Ash instructed.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu sent Lickitung back to crash against the other dazed Pokemon.

The room shook from the force of the battle and Pikachu's attacks. As everyone stared in shock and horror, part of the ceiling came loose and crashed to the tiled floor.

"Out of the way!" Brock yelled, tackling Ash and Misty to safety. Nurse Joy also leaped away.

For a moment everyone lay stunned as the plaster dust settled. When all was quiet, it was Misty who first arose. "Togepi?" she called, coughing.

Togepi trilled, but he sounded frightened. He was standing near Meowth's fallen form, his eyes flashing dangerously. Nearby, Pikachu's eyes were also turning from brown to red.

"Oh no!" Misty cried. "The Pokemon are falling under the staff's control again!"

"Huh?!" Ash rose too. "But how?!"

Brock sprang up in an instant. "Zubat!"

The blue bat was nowhere to be seen.

"Zubat must be buried!" Brock ran forward, desperately digging at the fallen ceiling.

"You'll never find him in time!" Nurse Joy gasped.

"I have to!" Brock dug for a moment more and then paused, standing still and seeming to be concentrating.

"What're you doing, Brock?" Ash blinked.

"I'm listening for Zubat's Supersonic waves," Brock replied. "Shh!"

Ash looked to Misty in disbelief. "There's no way he's gonna be able to hear Zubat under all this!"

"I know it doesn't seem reasonable, Ash, but if anyone can do the impossible, Brock can," Misty said. She honestly believed it. And in any case, right now she would latch on to any hope she could. Togepi was losing the fight against the mind-control. He raised his hands to begin Metronome again.

"No, Togepi!" Misty cried.

Brock suddenly came to life and lunged at a particular area. "Zubat is here!" he called, throwing a chunk of ceiling aside.

Ash, Misty, and Nurse Joy all joined in, helping Brock fling pieces of ceiling and a florescent light away. Zubat was underneath. He shuddered but flew out, screeching in thanks to Brock and the rest.

"Zubat, are you alright?!" Brock demanded.

Zubat chirped in the affirmative and once again used Supersonic. Pikachu and Togepi snapped back to their normal selves.

"Oh, thank goodness," Misty breathed.

"Thanks, Zubat!" Ash called as he and Pikachu ran to each other.

With that crisis averted, Brock knelt beside Meowth, his expression grim. Nurse Joy did as well.

"What is it, Brock?" Misty asked in concern. "He's not . . ."

"He's alive," Brock assured her. "But he's hurt. That wasn't an ordinary Pokemon battle. Under Jessie's mind-control, the other Team Rocket Pokemon are much stronger and more violent." He stood, holding Meowth in his arms.

"I need to try to help him right now, but until we stop Jessie, I don't even know if it's safe," Nurse Joy said. "She could have sabotaged my equipment!"

"If Jessie's to the point where she would do this to her and James' Pokemon, and to Meowth, she's pretty far gone," Brock frowned.

"I don't know," Misty said. "Jessie's normally a pretty violent person."

"But she loves her Pokemon," Brock said. "She's seriously corrupted by power to turn against them and to make them turn against Meowth."

Ash's eyes widened. "And James is looking for her," he gasped.

"You don't really think she'd do something to him," Misty exclaimed.

"The way she's been acting, I wouldn't put it past her," Brock said grimly. "We'd better find them right now."

He took off running down the hall.

Worried now, Ash, Misty, and Nurse Joy ran after him.

xxxx

James was agonized as he ran towards the front entrance of the Pokemon Center. His world was falling apart around him. How was he going to get through to Jessie? With the mask having corrupted her so thoroughly, she didn't even realize she had fallen to the darkness and wasn't even herself. Every time she spoke, she wounded James deeper. Saving her seemed a monumental quest. But there had to be a way, somehow, somewhere! He wasn't about to give her up for lost. Jessie was his oldest and dearest friend, someone he had known from childhood. They had been through so much together before ever even joining Team Rocket. And after they had and had met Meowth, they had only grown closer as friends and as a team. A twisted mask wasn't going to change that!

Though it was certainly doing its best to try. James' heart dropped when he caught sight of Jessie, laughing and spreading her arms wide as she stood in the reception room in front of the desk.

"That should teach Meowth to defy me!" she cried. "He won't dare do that again, not after facing the fury of my Pokemon!"

James entered the lobby and just stood and stared at her in sickened horror. "Jessie, what did you do?" he gasped.

Jessie spun to face him. "Oh, I thought I made that clear," she sneered. "Right now he should be dealing with Arbok, Lickitung, Weezing, and Victreebel!"

"What?!" James' eyes flashed with anger. This was even worse than he had imagined. Meowth was somewhere in the building being hurt?! "Why not simply put him under your control too?!"

"That would have been too easy," Jessie answered. "I wanted a much crueler punishment for what he did."

"What did he do?" James demanded.

"To try to make me give up my mask and staff," Jessie said. "And using the tired old excuse that they're dangerous and he's my friend, so I should listen to him."

James stared. "And you had him beaten up for that?!"

"I give up my power for no one!" Jessie insisted. "If Meowth wants me to, he's no longer my friend! He's lying about his reasons! He just wants the power for himself!"

This was a nightmare the likes of which James had never thought he would have to handle. Jessie was buried even deeper by the mask's evil than he had imagined. Still, he tried to grasp for any minuscule thread of hope. 

"You called him a 'tool' a while ago," he reminded her. "Now you're back to saying 'friend'?"

"He's no longer a worthy tool either," Jessie countered. "And neither are you!"

Something in James broke right then. "Jessie."

Jessie paused. Normally James was so quiet, so submissive. Now he wasn't either one. He was worried and determined and she could hear both in his voice.

"You need to stop this." He came closer, dangerously closer.

She gripped her precious staff. "What do you mean, James?" Her glazed eyes flashed. "I know you haven't approved of my using this mask ever since I put it on. You're jealous just like Meowth, aren't you? You wish you had the power for yourself!"

"No, that isn't it," James retorted. "Jessie, you don't even see what it's doing to you! Alright, so you were often rather . . . abusive to me and Meowth. You were doing better, thanks to your determination to change! Don't you remember?!"

A slight waver, a far-away voice. "I changed. . . ."

"Yes!" James cried. "But you've been growing steadily worse again ever since you put that thing on! I've seen from the start that while you have that mask, we've become tools for you to use. You don't care about us anymore."

The flickering in her eyes stopped. Now they were blank and glazed once more. "I never did," she snarled. "You're both pathetic losers dragging me down! You always have been! If I'd been on my own, I would have gone so much farther by now!"

"Would you?" James had tried to steel himself for this conversation, but the hurt in his eyes was unmistakable. "Don't you remember that we proved our worth by working together as a team?"

Jessie spun around, not wanting to face him. "That was in the past. It's time to move on now. I told you-if you're not willing to accept me as I am now, you're not welcome here any longer."

Instead of being crushed, James only became more emboldened. "No, I'm not willing to accept this!" he shouted. "And I won't be driven away either!" He ran around to face her again. "I want my friend back! And if I can't have her unless these blasted artifacts are destroyed, I'll break them apart with my bare hands!" He grabbed for her staff.

The sudden feeling of something slamming into his body jerked him back with a choked gurgle. He looked down, shocked and shaking. The bottom of the staff had impaled him.

Jessie was holding onto it, her knuckles white under her gloves. "I'll break you apart first," she hissed.

Somewhere nearby, a girl screamed. Misty had run in through another door, followed by Ash and Brock. Nurse Joy caught up to them and just stopped, horrified, both hands over her mouth.

"I can't believe what I'm seeing," Misty sobbed. "Don't look, Togepi!"

Togepi shrieked and curled into an egg shape. He had already seen too much.

"Oh!" Ash gasped. "Did Jessie really . . ."

"Pi-Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed in horror.

Brock was also badly shaken. He stood, stunned, his mouth hanging open. Then, snapping to, he went to his younger friends. "You shouldn't look either." He tried to pull them away.

Misty was hugging Togepi close, her eyes shut tightly as she turned away. "I can't look," she said. "This is too horrible, even though they're our enemies."

Ash couldn't look away. He was hugging Pikachu, but watching from over the top of Pikachu's head. "I can't believe Jessie really did that," he quavered.

James staggered now, both hands reaching to grip the unlikely weapon. The blood rose in his throat and he coughed and choked. "Jessie," he whispered. "I know . . . I know this isn't you." Then dizziness swept over him and he fell backwards, crashing to the floor while still clutching the staff. His eyes closed in death.

A chill swept over the room. No one dared speak; the only sound was Misty softly crying. Jessie stood stone-still over James' body, her hands loose at her sides, completely motionless.

Then Meowth screamed. He had regained consciousness just in time to see what Jessie had done, but had lain there in stricken shock until James had fallen. Anguished and desperate, he struggled to get out of Brock's arms. "Jim! Jim, please, no. You've gotta be okay! You've gotta . . ."

Brock held him firmly but not roughly. "Don't go over there! There's nothing you can do."

"I'm goin'!" Meowth snapped.

"Meowth, you're hurt," Misty said, daring to look up.

"Yeah, I know," Meowth retorted. "I tried to talk some sense into Jessie and she sicced her Pokemon on me. They didn't wanna do it, I could tell, but they didn't have any choice. . . . Meow. . . ." He cringed when he jarred a sore leg while trying to move. Still, he didn't let that stop him. He pushed against Brock and finally jumped down, running over to James on the floor. "Jim! Jim, please. . . . Open your eyes. . . . Speak to your old pal. . . ." But he knew it was a vain plea. Even if James said anything, it would be a dying declaration. Tears welled in Meowth's eyes and he curled up next to his fallen friend with a heartbroken sob.

Jessie still stood motionless, clenching her bloodied, gloved fists. She looked down, her gaze boring into James' body and yet somehow seeming to be looking right through him.

Ash watched her, shaken. "Why doesn't she do something?!" he exclaimed.

"Does she even know what she did?!" Misty wondered.

Brock's eyes narrowed. _Does she even care?_ he bitterly thought to himself.

Suddenly Jessie's eyes flashed back from their glazed state. Something in her mind had snapped. _"JAMES!"_ The scream echoed off every wall. The mask cracked in half and then in pieces, falling off her face to clatter on the floor. The staff remained where it was, buried in her best friend's body.

Meowth looked up in shock, the fur raising on his back. "Jessie?" he whispered.

Jessie fell to her knees, shaking, desperately pulling off her gloves to properly check for any possible signs of life. "Oh God, no," she sobbed as she brought a violently trembling hand to James' neck and tried to feel for a nonexistent pulse. "Please . . . don't tell me I did this. . . . I can't have done this . . ."

"Jessie . . ." Ash said softly.

Brock looked away. He had told James that James had the best chance of getting the mask and staff away from Jessie. James had been planning on it anyway, but Brock had to wonder if he was in any way responsible for this. They had been right, in some dark, ironic, twisted way-James' death had finally destroyed the mask and brought back the real Jessie when nothing else had worked.

Jessie grabbed for the staff now, frantic to pull it out of James' body. But it seemed to be stuck. No matter how she tugged, it didn't budge an inch. Horrified beyond belief, she still wouldn't give up. "Come on!" she yelled. "Come out!" Another fruitless tug.

Misty held a hand to her mouth. "What does it even matter now?" she said. "There's no way he's alive. . . ."

The doors burst open and Eve and Tierra ran inside. They stopped short, sickened, the color draining from their faces as they gazed at the sight.

"Oh no," Eve whispered.

"We're too late," Tierra sorrowed.

Brock looked over. "Girls . . ."

Tierra held up the parchment. "We've almost finished translating it," she said brokenly. "The priestess became so steeped in the mask's corruption that she . . . impaled her one true friend when her friend tried to reason with her."

Eve nodded. "That act sealed her fall into the darkness. It was what the mask was leading her towards all that time. And now . . ." She stared at the gory scene before them. "It's happened again."

"Not quite," Brock said quietly. "What the mask made Jessie do . . . broke its control over her." He nodded to the shattered pieces of the artifact on the floor, some of which had fallen into James' blood. "It underestimated how much she loved James. Realizing she'd killed him, even while under a spell, was too much for her to take. Not even the mask could hold her after that."

The archaeologists were shaken into silence. Brock was right. Unlike the priestess, who had genuinely come to love power more than her friend, Jessie's true self had not fallen to the darkness. But now that she was left with the horrifying consequences of what she had done under the mask's corruption, how would she ever live with herself?

Jessie was shaking, silent tears streaming down her cheeks. "How could I have let this happen?" she whispered. "Having all that power was so fun at first. But it took over, corrupting me until _it_ was in control. . . . And it was so subtle that I didn't even know what it was doing. If I had been in my right mind, I never would have stood for a hunk of bronze talking to me!" She rested her forehead on the staff. "Meowth saw it. James saw it. I wouldn't listen to either one of them. It took _this_ to bring me back!"

She caught sight of the shattered mask out of the corner of her eye. Somehow that gave her renewed strength and she straightened and took hold of the staff once again. "The mask broke! Why didn't you break too?!" she screamed at it. "I don't want you or the mask! I want James back!"

Ash was chilled. "Jessie . . . he's . . . he's gone," he said softly.

Tierra shook her head, haunted. "And Jessie did it. . . ."

Misty looked away, not even trying to hide the tears slipping from her eyes. "It was like James said right before he . . ." She hugged Togepi close. "That wasn't Jessie. _This_ is Jessie."

Meowth stared at Jessie, heartbroken, not knowing what to say at all. James was gone, and even though Jessie was free of the mask, she would never get over this. In his heart, Meowth knew that he had still lost both of his friends.

Jessie was still screaming at the staff, despite knowing it was useless. "I don't care about your power anymore! Not when it causes this to happen! I don't care if we fail for the rest of our lives. I just . . . I don't want to go through the rest of my life without James in it. I want him back. I just want him back." She leaned against the staff with both her hands gripping it at a point above her head. The tears slipped from her eyes, splashing into the wound.

Suddenly the staff glowed and moved. Jessie fell forward with a yelp and quickly straightened. As everyone watched in stunned shock, the staff split vertically down the middle and both pieces fell out of the hole in James' flesh. The wound mended, the blood fading and vanishing from view. Then James stirred, slowly opening his eyes in bewildered disbelief. Everyone gasped.

"Jim!" Meowth's eyes were huge. "You're alive!"

"James?!" Jessie cried. "Oh James, is this really possible?!" She bent over him, afraid it was a trick of the light . . . or her imagination.

James gazed up at her and started to smile. "Jessie! You're back!" He sat up, perfectly healed, and hugged her close.

" _I'm_ back?!" Jessie retorted. "You were _dead!_ "

James paused, looking both haunted and shaken. "Dead. . . ."

Meowth nodded, visibly troubled as well. "Stone cold."

"Because of me!" Jessie sobbed and clutched at James. "How can you even want anything to do with me after what I did?!"

Recognition and understanding flashed in equal parts in James' eyes. "The person who was corrupted with power and stabbed me was a stranger," he replied. "But you're Jessie. All I wanted was to have you back, and now I do."

Meowth leaped up, hugging them both. "And I've got both my best pals back!" he beamed.

"Meowth . . ." Jessie looked to him with stricken eyes. "I caused you to be hurt too. . . ."

"I know it was 'cause of that mask and staff," Meowth said. "Jim's right; it wasn't you!" He closed his eyes in bliss.

Jessie was overwhelmed. "You're both so forgiving. . . ."

"Because we know you, Jess," James said.

Still observing, Ash shook his head. "Wow," was all he could think to say.

Misty looked both happy and confused. "I'm so glad James is alright," she exclaimed. "But how is it possible?!"

"I think it was Jessie's love and grief that broke the staff," Brock said. "I know it sounds like something out of a fairytale, but I don't know how else to explain it."

Tierra nodded. "I've been struggling with the last line on the parchment. It's so faded we may never know for absolute certainty what it says. But what it looks like it says is that if the mask's vessel breaks through its spell and shows that they haven't been completely corrupted by power, there may still be hope of saving their victim."

"James may have been in a sort of enchanted death," Eve agreed, "and would have only died for real if the mask's vessel-in this case, Jessie-had not come back to herself and proved she still loved him more than power."

"And coming back to oneself is the only way to remove the mask," Tierra said, studying the parchment again. "Even if James had managed to touch the mask, he couldn't have pulled it off. Jessie had to choose to relinquish it."

"Which she did when she saw the tragedy it had brought about," Eve added.

"Wow," Ash blinked. "So history really repeated itself."

"At least for bad," Brock said. "But unlike history, this time things ultimately turned out good."

Misty smiled. "I'm so glad."

Togepi trilled happily.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu beamed.

xxxx

Night had fallen by the time everyone stepped outside the Pokemon Center. Jessie had been quiet most of the time, which wasn't surprising given what had transpired. When they emerged into the night, she separated herself from the group and went to sit on a low wall with her legs drawn up to her chest.

James only let her stay there a few minutes before he joined her. "Jessie?" He spoke quietly. "Are you alright?"

"I killed you," Jessie spat. An angry tear slipped from her eye and she didn't try to brush it away. "I'm never going to stop seeing that image in my mind. I plunged that rotten staff into you and you fell down dead! Still believing in me too."

"Because it wasn't you who stabbed me." James climbed onto the wall, looking at her in concern.

She slammed her hand on the cement surface. "But it was! Okay, so maybe the mask had taken over my mind, but it was _my_ hands holding the staff, _my_ hands forcing it into your body, _my_ hands that left you laying dead! And all the things I said before that. . . . It was _my_ mouth, _my_ voice! I controlled our Pokemon. I made them beat Meowth up. If you hadn't somehow come back, I probably would have killed myself. Maybe somehow all of you will forgive me, but how can I forgive myself?!"

James hesitated. "Only you can answer that, Jess." He slowly reached out to hug her from behind. She stiffened, but allowed it. "It will take time. Maybe a very long time. I'm still haunted by what happened to me when that evil spirit possessed me."

"That's different," Jessie objected. "Okay, you said some hurtful things, but most of them were things that needed to be said. You couldn't go through with anything really horrible. The very thought of killing me or even the twerp was enough to make you strong enough to fight! And instead, with me . . . it took killing you to break the mask's spell over me. What does that say about me?"

"I think it says more about the strength of the evil in that mask," James shuddered. "It came on so quietly, so slowly, that you didn't even realize what was happening to you. Because of that, it was able to permeate through your mind and soul to the point that you thought Meowth and I were against you. Then it took you over completely."

"I thought my mind was clear, but it hadn't been clear from the moment I put the mask on. It only cleared when you died." Jessie shut her eyes tightly. "It was like I was watching a stranger impale you. Then I realized I'd done it. How many people could forgive their best friend for becoming their worst enemy?"

"Honestly, I think anyone who truly loves their best friend and never stops believing in them," James said softly. "I couldn't think you were too far gone, Jessie. I had to believe that something could still reach you. And in that, my death had a purpose."

Jessie finally turned to face him. "I used to think you were so weak," she choked out. "A spoiled, vain brat who knew nothing of hard living and always caved to whatever I or others wanted you to do. Instead, you're one of the strongest people I've ever met."

"So are you," James replied.

Jessie gave a weak smile. "I hope someday . . . I can believe that again."

"Someday you will," James promised.

Jessie hesitated. "Aren't you haunted . . . bothered at all by what I did?"

James paused, considering the question. "I'm bothered by what the mask made you do," he said at last. "And . . . yes, being stabbed was horrifying. It seemed like a nightmare, something unreal. But I know _you_ didn't do it. Not the real you. I couldn't remember it that way if I tried."

Jessie finally turned and hugged him close. "I'll never do anything like that again," she choked out.

"I know," James said softly. "And no matter what you have to do to get through this-crying, screaming-I'll be there for you."

"And who will be there for you, James?" Jessie had to wonder. "I can't believe you're really taking this as calmly as you seem to be. When it really sinks in, you're going to struggle with getting over it too. No matter the circumstances, being run through by your best friend is not something anyone could easily deal with!"

James looked down. He knew she was right.

"We'll all deal with this together," he determined. "We all suffered; we'll all comfort each other and be there for each other until we've recovered."

"That's right!" Meowth scrambled up with them now. "Me too!"

Jessie and James started and looked to him. Then, smiling, they drew him close.

"Of course," James said.

"Our team could never be complete without you, Meowth," Jessie said. "And I know it could never begin to make up for what I did, but . . . I am so sorry for everything I said and did to both of you. You're the only ones who really love me and I discarded that for a mask and staff."

"And you would have given them up long ago if the mask hadn't poisoned you with its evil," James said.

Meowth nodded. "I'll admit I was afraid you was gone for good, Jessie. Especially when you had everybody gang up on me. But Jim still believed, and I sure as heck wanted to."

"I would have given up on me too," Jessie remarked.

"And when I woke up just in time to see what you did to James . . ." Meowth shut his eyes tightly and looked away. "That was when I lost all hope. But even as he . . . died, he still believed in you. I still wanted to too. And then you came back." He looked up again. "And even James came back. And now . . . now we've all got a chance to be together again." Awe filled his eyes and his voice.

"And we're going to be," Jessie vowed. "I don't know how you can want me back, but since you do, I'll be here."

"We'll all be here," James said. "Always."

They held each other close.

Ash, Misty, and Brock watched from a distance.

"Do you think they really will be okay?" Ash wondered.

"I think so," Brock said. "With time. And hopefully they've learned their lesson, at least about ancient artifacts."

"I'm pretty sure they won't try stealing any more masks and staffs any time soon," Ash said.

Misty nodded. "I'm sure. I don't think Eve and Tierra will want to dig any more up any time soon, either. At least not if there are similar legends floating around about other artifacts."

"I wonder what they're gonna do with the stuff from today," Ash said.

"The mask and staff are in pieces, but I don't think anyone wants to take a chance on something else going wrong," Brock said. "The girls are going to put the pieces in a strongbox and lock it up tight."

"I hope no one else digs them up several centuries from now and figures out how to put them back together." Misty shuddered.

"That would be really scary," Ash proclaimed.

"No kidding," Brock agreed.

Misty paused. "You know, I hope we'll be okay too. What happened today was horrible. I think it's going to take us some time to get over it even though we were just watching."

"I think you're right," Ash said. He had to admit, at least to himself, that he was probably going to have nightmares about what they'd seen.

"Pika," said Pikachu.

Togepi trilled.

"I'm glad things turned out beautiful in the end," Misty said, smiling down at him. "Jessie proved that she's stronger than that priestess was. And she saved James' life."

Brock nodded. "That should help a lot in aiding their recovery from this. Ours too."

"Pikachu," Pikachu agreed.

Zubat, perched on Brock's shoulder, chirped.

Brock smiled. "Thanks for all your help, Zubat," he said, petting the soft fur.

"That was really amazing how you heard Zubat under all the debris," Misty said. "I didn't think anyone could do that!"

"It takes a strong bond with your Pokemon to be able to," Brock said.

"And a whole lot of determination!" Ash said. Suddenly something occurred to him and he frowned. "Hey . . . do you think Team Rocket's other Pokemon will forgive Jessie for controlling them?"

Brock looked to where Weezing, Victreebel, Arbok, and Lickitung had joined their friends and were participating in the group hug as best as they could. "I think so," he said. "Especially since Jessie was really a victim too."

"I wonder if Jessie will ever be able to see it that way," Misty said quietly.

"Probably not for a long time," Brock said. "But maybe someday, with the help of her friends."

Ash smiled a bit. "I'm glad Jessie has real friends to help her through this."

"I guess in that way, Team Rocket is like us," Misty said. "I'm sure if anything like that happened to us, we would stay loyal through it."

"Yeah," Ash nodded. "But it'd sure better not happen to us!" He shuddered.

"It won't," Brock vowed, laying his hands on their shoulders. "I promise, that will never happen to any of us!"

Ash and Misty looked at him in surprise. While they partially weren't sure how Brock could fulfill such a promise, it was a comforting thought and one they wanted to cling to. They never wanted to act out a tragedy such as Team Rocket had been forced to play, even though that had miraculously turned out well.

They turned and went back inside.


End file.
